Every great journey starts with a single step. For the HIECH Foundation, that step led us through the doors of the Teshie Children’s Home on December 4, 2021.
December in Accra carries a particular energy: the year winding down, the promise of holidays ahead, and the collective exhale before a new beginning. We chose this moment deliberately for our very first project, knowing that December is when children most acutely feel the presence or absence of care, when the season of giving either includes them or reminds them they’ve been forgotten.
We arrived that Saturday morning as a complete team, every HIECH Foundation member present, arms full of foodstuffs and toiletries, hearts even fuller with purpose and nervous excitement. This wasn’t just another donation. This was the foundation laying its foundation, the moment when abstract plans became concrete action, when “we should do something” became “we are doing something.”
More Than a Delivery
The management of Teshie Children’s Home welcomed us with the practiced grace of people accustomed to well-meaning visitors. They’d seen donors before. They’d received supplies before. But as we began unloading boxes of foodstuffs that would stretch the budget further than usual and toiletries that restored dignity one bar of soap at a time, you could sense their assessment shifting from polite gratitude to genuine appreciation.
These weren’t token items. This was substantial support. Food that would feed children for weeks. Toiletries that would last. Supplies chosen with thought and care, not just grabbed off a shelf to fulfill a charitable impulse.
But here’s what made that first project unforgettable: we didn’t just deliver and leave. We stayed. We celebrated. We connected.
The Dancing, The Games, The Joy
After the formal donation handover, something magical happened. The initial shyness melted away, replaced by the irrepressible energy only children possess. Someone suggested a dancing competition, and suddenly the courtyard transformed into a stage.
clapping, andChildren who’d been watching cautiously from doorways rushed forward, eager to show us their moves. Volunteers who’d been nervous about interacting found themselves laughing, clapping, joining in. The line between “donors” and “recipients” blurred until it disappeared entirely. We were just people sharing joy on a Saturday afternoon.
team, orThe games that followed were simple, the kinds of activities that require no equipment, just willingness to play. But watch a child’s face light up when they win a round, when they’re chosen for a team, when an adult gives them undivided attention, and you understand that these moments matter just as much as the supplies we brought.
One little boy, maybe six years old, grabbed my hand during a game. “Sister, you’ll come back?” he asked, voice small but hopeful. That question became our compass. Yes, child. We’ll be back. This isn’t the last time. This is just the beginning.
What We Learned on Day One
That first project taught us lessons we’d carry through every subsequent initiative:
Presence matters as much as presents. The dancing and games weren’t add-ons to the “real work” of donation; they were equally important. Children need supplies, but they also need to feel seen, celebrated, and worthy of adults’ time and attention.
Showing up is powerful. Every member of the HIECH Foundation was there. Not because we had hundreds of members (we didn’t), but because we understood that commitment means physical presence, not just financial contribution. That collective showing up set the tone for everything that followed.
Joy is a gift we can always afford. We arrived with budgets and supply lists, but the dancing and games cost nothing except willingness. Yet those moments created connections that no amount of supplies alone could forge.
First steps don’t have to be perfect. We made mistakes that day: logistics that could’ve been smoother and activities that could’ve been better planned. But perfection wasn’t the goal. Starting was the goal. And we started.
The Ripple Effect
We couldn’t have known it then, but that December afternoon at Teshie Children’s Home would spark five years (and counting) of continuous impact. The nervous energy we felt walking through those doors? That was the feeling of possibility becoming reality.
The children we danced with? They showed us that humanitarian work isn’t about maintaining professional distance; it’s about building human connection. The management who welcomed us? They taught us that respect and partnership matter more than grand gestures.
To everyone who supported that first project, whether you donated money, helped purchase supplies, showed up that Saturday, or simply believed that HIECH Foundation’s first project wouldn’t be its last, you were architects of everything that followed. Every subsequent project traces its lineage back to that December day at Teshie.
Why December 4, 2021, Still Matters
Anniversaries tend to celebrate the biggest achievements, the most money raised, the most people served, and the most ambitious projects. But December 4, 2021, wasn’t about “most” anything. It was about beginning. It was about a group of people deciding that talking about change wasn’t enough; they needed to create change.
It was about walking through doors that led to more doors, starting a journey that’s still unfolding, and planting seeds that are still bearing fruit.
Every child who smiled that day, every volunteer who discovered their passion for service, every lesson we learned about showing up with both supplies and spirit—these became the DNA of the HIECH Foundation.
We’ve grown since then. Our projects have gotten bigger, our reach has expanded, and our experience has deepened. But we’ve never lost what we found at Teshie Children’s Home: the understanding that this work is about people, not just programs. About connection, not just contribution. About showing up, not just sending support.